Quinn Cement factories in the Cavan and Fermanagh border area are to close for a month owing to a drop in demand. 65 workers at Derrylin, Co Fermanagh, and Ballyconnell, Co Cavan, have been told not to return to work until mid-May.
Quinn Cement said the production of bulk cement had been suspended because storage facilities at the plant had reached full capacity. Production of bagged cement is continuing as normal. The company said all jobs at the plants are secure.
The Quinn Group, headed by Sean Quinn, employs 8,000 people in Ireland, Britain and elsewhere in Europe.
In a trading update last week, Quinn Group said sales of cement and related products had fallen by 40% in the first quarter compared with a year earlier.
